Abandoned drone during a mission with Dronelink 4.9.4 (295)
When version 4.9.3 of DJI Dronelink was deployed (28 May 2024), the missions were being carried out correctly. This version used the DJI SDK 5.9.0 (Android).
On 27 August 2024, Dronelink deployed version 4.9.4, which used the DJI SDK 5.10.0 (Android).
With this version, pilots began reporting strange and dangerous behaviour in September 2024.
In October 2024, another thread was also opened for the same problem, which continues to appear at random
This time, the problem is not confined to Europe, but also seems to have appeared in Canada and Cameroon.
As far as I'm concerned (living in France), the problems started at the end of September 2024. The appendix shows the history of the first missions where the bug appeared.
At present, the Dronelink developers are unable to correct this bug because it did not appear on their site. Without being able to carry out tests on site, Dronelink is trying to detect the origin of the bug between Dronelink, DJI MSK or a firmware or a combination of these.
What other information would the DJI team need to help Dronelink pinpoint the origin of this bug?
Hardware and software used
DJI mini 3 drone; firmware: v01.00.0500
RC-N1 radio control; firmware v04.16.0500
DJI Fly application: 1.14.2
DroneLink DJI Version 4.9.4 (295); Kernel 4.9.4
Android smartphone :
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G without SIM card ;
Android 14 ; OneUI 6.1 ;
=======================================
Appendix
Monday 30 September 2024 13:29
weather: the sky is half-covered with clouds, little wind (10 km/h)
This first mission could not be carried out. The drone had an abnormal displacement in relation to the trajectory. Before reaching the last Chekpoint, the following message appeared:
‘Unable to Reach Checkpoint:
- Please try again by tapping the play button.
- If it happens a second time, you may need to wait for lower winds or plan your mission at a lower altitude.’
Monday 30 September 2024 13:33; 13:34; 13:37; 13:40; 13:42; 13:44 and 13:49
After this incident, seven missions were completed without any problems. It was therefore not possible to record a video of this one-off bug.
Saturday 5 October 2024 11:38; 11:41; 11:43; 11:45; 11:48 and 11:51
weather: no clouds, little wind (3km/h; 10km/h gusts)
Six Dronelink missions were successfully completed. The battery used is numbered 1. Having less than 50%, it will be replaced after landing the drone. Some camera orientation parameters (tilt and yaw) have been modified.
Saturday 5th October 2024 12:06
The same mission is carried out on battery number 2.
A mission is attempted. It cannot be completed. A bug appears, giving the impression that the drone is disorientated. It was impossible to stop the mission by conventional means. The manual mode was activated by operating the Cine/Normal/Sport switch to land the drone. No video was taken. For Dronelink, the mission could not be completed because it was paused.
Saturday 5th October 2024 12:10
The RC-N1 radio control is stopped and then restarted. The Android phone screen recording is activated. The video https://youtu.be/YjzxBzvsR6g shows that it has once again been impossible to complete the mission. The drone is returned to the ground. It is switched off and then switched back on. For Dronelink, the mission would not have started.
Saturday 5th October 2024 12:14
After the go-ahead to take off, the video https://youtu.be/VS88t__kvy0 shows how the mission unfolded.
As this video shows, it was impossible to start the mission. For Dronelink, the mission had been paused.
Saturday 5 October 2024 15:02
The mission is attempted again. It worked correctly with battery number 1.
Saturday 5th October 2024 15:05
To be sure that the origin of the bug is not related to the battery, it is attempted a mission with the battery numbered 2. The mission was successful.
These last two attempts of the day show that the bug is, for the moment, random.
-
Before realising that it was the same bug, other threads had been opened :
-
Jim McAndrew Dronelink Staff
And for the Mini 3 they want the SD card log:
1. Take out the aircraft SD card and connect it to the computer with a card reader.
2. Copy the MISC folder.The MISC file is enormous.
What is the best way to transfer you a copy made on :
- 5 October 2024 with the Dronelink DJI 4.9.4 version,
- and another on 15 October 2024 with the beta version Dronelink DJI 5.0.0 (296)? -
We recommend that you provide us with the logs from Mobile SDK 5.10.0. In addition to the SD card logs, the logs exported from the **aircraft**, as well as the **MSDK logs**, the exception **times**, and **videos** would also be very helpful to us. You can upload this information to this location:https://pan-sec.djicorp.com/s/fLsWwmAAoe7rrrB password:dji123 -
Two MISC dossiers have just been submitted:
-
241005MISC.zip is a copy made on 05 October 2024 with the following configuration:
Drone DJI mini 3 ; firmware : v01.00.0500
Radiocommande RC-N1 ; Firmware v04.16.0500
Application DJI Fly :14.2
DroneLink DJI Version 4.9.4 (295) ; Kernel 4.9.4
Smartphone Android :
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G (sans carte SIM) ;
Android 14 ; OneUI 6.1 ;
-
241015MISC.zip is a copy made on 15 October 2024 with the following configuration:
Drone DJI mini 3 ; firmware : v01.00.0500
Radiocommande RC-N1 ; Firmware v04.16.0500
Application DJI Fly : 1.14.2
DroneLink DJI Version 5.0.0 (296) ; Kernel 5.0.0
Smartphone Android :
Samsung Galaxy A34 5G (sans carte SIM) ;
Android 14 ; OneUI 6.1 ;
Other files will follow as soon as possible.
With a DJI mini 3, where to find :
- MSDK logs and
- exception times,
mentioned in your previous message?We have just downloaded the files.zip folder on the smartphone called A34 Drone in the following way:
-
241005MISC.zip is a copy made on 05 October 2024 with the following configuration:
-
The MSDK logs are stored in the path obtained from getMSDKLogPath, and you may seek assistance from DroneLink. The MSDK logs will be organized in folders named by date, and you will need to submit the entire folder corresponding to the relevant logs to us. Please note that only version 5.10 generates MSDK logs and it can be closed. Regarding the exception time, MSDK cannot automatically identify exceptions, so you will need to provide a more accurate time for the exception. -
A folder called videosDJI.zip has been uploaded.
This folder contains the files below.
The association of each video with the mission is summarised in the spreadsheet included in the folder.
I am at DJI and Dronelink's disposal to provide further information to help fix this bug, which is very worrying for the safety of users (and of the drone).
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
7 comments